Thursday, October 29, 2020

Dallas Cowboys Week 8 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2020 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Dallas Cowboys rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 28.2 (29th)
  • Best ranking: 25th (Multiple)
  • Worst ranking: 31st (USA Today)

Below you will find a Week 8 roundup for the Cowboys in our consensus 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

The Athletic -- Rank: 30

Their loss to Washington felt like rock bottom, although with the 2020 Cowboys, you never really know for sure. Wrote The Athletic's Bob Sturm: "This team is already showing all of the worst signs of complete chaos. In fact, they are showing the telltale signs of a team that wants to get their coach fired." The offensive line is a mess. The quarterback situation is a mess. And the defense ranks 28th. The Cowboys have been outscored by 67 points this season; only the Jets have been worse.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 25

They are awful. The offense is now a mess. The defense is terrible. Yet they are still in the NFC East race heading into Philadelphia this week.

USA Today -- Rank: 31

Are we really already talking about replacing Mike McCarthy? Dallas could be alone in first place next week with a win at Philadelphia.

ESPN -- Rank: 25

Who needs to step up: LB Jaylon Smith

Just one? Well, then it's Smith. Or DeMarcus Lawrence. But let's stick with Smith. Don't be fooled by his tackle stats. He has not made impact plays, and he has been poor in coverage and out of position. He was added to the Pro Bowl last year, but his best season was in 2018. If Smith does not improve, he might be a salary-cap casualty in 2021. He is set to make $7.2 million next season, which becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year. Given how the season has played out, nobody is safe; the Cowboys could move on from Smith if he does not pick up his performance. -- Todd Archer

NFL.com -- Rank: 30

More embarrassment for the Cowboys on Sunday, this time in the form of a 25-3 loss to a Washington Football Team that shouldn't be blowing anyone out in 2020. Dallas is a complete mess, and it got messier when Andy Dalton was knocked out of action on an illegal hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic. After the game, Mike McCarthy called out his own team for not rallying around Dalton or getting after Bostic, who stood pretty much off on his own while Dalton was attended to and eventually carted off the field. The Cowboys are somehow still in the mix in a ridiculously watered-down NFC East, but this feels like a team that's burning down from the inside out.

Previous update: Dallas Cowboys Week 7 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

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